How Much Money Do Audiologists Make?

by Gregory Hamel, Demand Media

Deterioration of senses like sight and hearing during adulthood and old age is a major challenge in modern medicine. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, over a third of people over the age of 60 and half of those over age 85 suffer from hearing loss. Audiologists are medical specialists who diagnose and treat problems related to hearing and balance. They must complete a doctoral degree program and, like other highly trained medical professionals, top workers can earn six-figure salaries.

Income Range

Data furnished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that audiologists earned $71,000 a year on average in May 2011. The BLS annual income estimate is based on an average wage of $34.13 an hour and 2,080 hours of work per year. The top 10 percent of audiologists in terms of annual income made more than $101,200 a year, and the bottom 10 percent earned under $43,000. Half of workers in the occupation made between $55,080 and $83,540.

Top States

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that New Jersey was the highest-paying state for audiologists in May 2011 and that workers in the state made $90,850 a year on average. Average annual income in other top states included $88,350 a year in Kentucky, $87,220 in Hawaii and $84,870 in New Mexico. California employed the highest number of audiologists of any state; workers there made $75,830 on average.

Top Industries

Medical professionals like physicians, nurses and specialists work for several different types of health care providers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that audiologists working at the offices of physicians earned $70,250 a year on average in May 2011, while those working at the offices of other health care practitioners made $74,660 on average. Audiologists employed by general medical and surgical hospitals earned $73,620 on average, workers at outpatient care facilities made $80,810 and workers at specialty hospitals earned $77,390, on average.

Career Outlook

As the aging baby-boomer generation enters retirement, the need for hearing tests and hearing aids is likely to grow and fuel demand for audiologists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment of audiologists to grow 37 percent from 2010 to 2020, which is much faster than the national average for all jobs. Job prospects for workers with doctoral degrees should be favorable, especially in areas with large numbers of retirees.

About the Author

Gregory Hamel has been a writer since September 2008 and has also authored three novels. He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from St. Olaf College. Hamel maintains a blog focused on massive open online courses and computer programming.

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